Turn It All Black!
by Seeker of Miracles
Summary: Short piece inspired by the Touhou song "Bad Apple!" Oneshot.


Even in the midst of flowing time,

Look, Listlessness dances round and round.

I can't even see my heart, as it withdraws from me, and I don't care.

Even if I don't make a move,

I keep being swept away through the cracks of time.

I don't give a damn about anything around me,

I am me, and that's all there is to it.

Am I dreaming? Am I seeing nothing?

My words are useless, even if I were to speak them.

Sadness only leaves me exhausted,

And I'd rather live my days feeling nothing.

Even if you told me those bewildering words,

My heart would be elsewhere, not listening.

If I were to make a move on my own, and change everything,

I'd still turn it all black.

Is there a future for someone like this?

Do I belong in this world?

Does my heart ache now? Do I grieve now?

I simply know nothing about myself.

Merely walking leaves me exhausted,

So how could I care about anyone else?

If even someone like me could change,

Were I to actually change, I'd turn white.

Even in the midst of flowing time,

Look, Listlessness dances round and round.

I can't even see my heart, as it withdraws from me, and I don't care.

Even if I don't make a move,

I keep being swept away through the cracks of time.

I don't give a damn about anything around me,

I am me, and that's all there is to it.

Am I dreaming? Am I seeing nothing?

My words are useless, even if I were to speak them.

Sadness only leaves me exhausted,

And I'd rather live my days feeling nothing.

Even if you told me those bewildering words,

My heart would be elsewhere, not listening.

If I were to make a move on my own, and change everything,

I'd still turn it all black.

If I make a move, if I make a move,

I'll destroy it all, I'll destroy it all.

If I grieve, if I grieve,

Would my heart turn white?

I still know nothing about you, nothing about myself,

Nothing about anything at all.

If opening my heavy eyelids means I'll destroy everything,

Then _let_ it all turn black!

~ _**Bad Apple - Touhou Project**_

* * *

The hero sleeps.

For ten years, the worlds are left in flux. Darkness crowds their corners, slowly corroding the borders between them.

For ten years, the worlds teeter on the edge between their sustained existence and destruction and ruin.

For ten years, denizens of the light slowly watch the stars blink out. The sky is swallowed by darkness as the worlds are slowly lost to the Heartless.

The hero sleeps.

A smile flutters across his lips, as though he doesn't have a care in the world. The boy sleeps comfortably as his heart begins to mend.

"Restoration at... 12%" He hears in his head. The smile peeks between his lips as he contemplates his recovery in a digital form. Like a team of scientists awaits his resurrection.

* * *

Ienzo triple checks his figures, clipboard in hand. Scratching a column off his checklist, he moves to the next apparatus.

Three hearts float in a large test tube, the hearts ranging from large to small. Even points to one of the hearts in question, his long blond hair bobbing furiously as the results aren't falling under acceptable terms.

Isa carries a crate over to Xehanort's desk. His black leather robes catching with his movements. He bows with courtesy to Aeleus.

The big red-haired man grunts in affirmation before getting Dilan's attention and gesturing to the new supplies.

Dilan waves it off dismissively before nodding thanks to Isa, he then turns his attention to Lea, who garbed in a similar black cloak listens intently to the dreadlocked guardsmen.

Lea rolls his eyes in Isa's direction, inciting a snicker from the blue haired man before he departs the room.

Braig passes Isa before crossing the threshold of the door. Looking for Xehanort, he's surprised to find the young apprentice missing from the otherwise busy office. With a look of displeasure, the one-eyed gunner vainly attempts to obtain information from the rest of Ansem's apprentices.

But Xehanort is far from the castle grounds. Sitting on the edge of an expansive garden, the white-haired youth closes a tome entitled "Winnie the Pooh" before setting it down next to him. He gazes up into the sky just in time to catch sight of three birds of varying colors dart between the trees.

Green, blue and orange.

The curious sight stirs something deep within the scholar alchemist, rousing blurry foggy images. A sleeping boy comes immediately to mind. His innocent face as clear as day, though the details escape him.

* * *

The hero sleeps comfortably. His faith in the worlds and his faith in his friends at an all time high.

"They're coming." He thinks. "I'll see their smiling faces soon."

* * *

Aqua stumbled in the realm of darkness, her sense of time dulled to non-existent. Her memories fleeting and ever-changing. Everything she knew tainted by the dark energies that seem to permeate her very being as she makes her way forward.

Master Eraqus's keyblade drags along the ground in her hand. It's cold steel feeling heavier with each step.

She raises a gloved hand to her face, hoping her own touch will stir her awake, restore some sense to her person.

Instead her cold fingers feel foreign and she wonders just how long its been since her hands have touched anything besides her keyblade.

Just how long has it been since she left Ven at home?

Has Terra found him yet? Surely he searches for them both.

She smiles to herself, surprised at the simple gesture and it's warmth. She knows he's okay.

The determination in his eyes when the two linked together to fight that dark apparation. That dark guardian that seemed to be puppeteering his body.

Keyblades held high they unleashed the power of light against him, together.

That was surely not something even Terra could easily forget.

But had they forgotten about her? About her fate? Did they just think she was lost? And Ven... just what had happened to him back there.

Both of her friends, not themselves...

How long had it been since then?

* * *

Ten years.

Ten long years, the hero slept.

But he wasn't the only one.

Xehanort's heartless, Ansem, had possessed Riku and waged war against the Keyblade's new chosen hero, Sora.

Sora and Riku locked keyblades. Kairi's slumbering body lay off to one side. The feral look in Riku's eyes were not their own.

But Sora refused to back down.

At the fight's conclusion, Sora used Riku's keyblade to unlock his heart... and two hearts waft up and out into the atmosphere.

* * *

Ventus bolted upright upon his throne. His heart being torn from its chest. Everything unraveled. The steady progress his heart had made ground to a halt. The pained expression upon his face faded as he slumped back into his seat.

His thoughts turned dark and deranged. The things he once knew didn't make sense. Familiar faces didn't recognize him and they said things he didn't understand.

A man resembling Lea sat next to him on a clock tower, they shared a beautiful sunset and consumed dangerous amounts of some salty ice-cream treat.

In a flash he chided Sora about not being the prisoner in some dark city.

Nothing made sense and a bitter taste filled his mouth.

His sense of time derailed, backwards and forwards his mind spiralled. Desperation filled his aching heart. As a clock spun backwards he summoned his weapon in hand.

The keyblade restored his sense of balance. His eyes heavy, like a black tar had worked its way between his eyelids, holding fast.

He let his body, his spirit guide him.

The clink of his armor reminded him of his fight against Xehanort and Vanitas.

But his armor felt different. Heavier, weighed down by the darkness that had attempted to worm its way into his heart over the last decade or more.

The darkness cloaked him, covering him like shroud, strengthened him, propelling him forward, but marring his vision.

He felt strange. Not himself. His sense of feel and touch were all but completely absent. Instead all he felt was weight and steel.

Sora!

He would protect Sora. Against everything!

Brandishing his keyblade fiercely he stared down his next opponent.

"As long as I stand upright," the corrupted armor thought, "The darkness won't touch Sora."

…... The hero slept. His body sealed away.

His heart struggled to maintain some sense of self, lashing out aggressively.

His sentiments, fused to his armor like the darkness that coated it, vowed battle against all those that dare step into the realm of Sora's heart.

His sanctuary. His hope. His broken existence.

And Vanitas smiled.

* * *

Author's notes: _Bad Apple!_ has dominated my playlist for like the last two days. The simple shadow art animated music video has fascinated me for days, while it's profound lyrics stir something deep inside me.

I've always held to the belief that people are two-sided, light and darkness and this song highlights that eternal struggle within us all.

Myself especially. How long can you be exposed to darkness before it corrodes your light? Likewise, how much can you claim to know about darkness if you've never stepped out of the spotlight? And felt its cold toothless maw encroach upon you?

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance answered a ton of questions, and shed much light on the state of affairs in the world of Kingdom Hearts. Square Enix definitely won me back over and I can't wait to see if my suspicions about a few of these characters won't come true.

_Only time'll tell._


End file.
